From the course: Career Advice from Some of the Biggest Names in Business

Diane von Furstenberg on when you don't know what to do

From the course: Career Advice from Some of the Biggest Names in Business

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Diane von Furstenberg on when you don't know what to do

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- When you think back to the many doors that you've forced open, or that have been opened for you, is there one in particular that you think this is the one that started it? - Well I always say when I talk to young women, you know, some women know, I want to be a a doctor, I studied to be a doctor, always. Or, I want to be a violinist, or an actress. Some people have a vocation and they know that from early on. But most people don't have a vocation and are not quite sure what they want to do. And in my case I did know. I didn't know what I wanted to do but I knew the kind of woman I wanted to be. I wanted to be independent, I wanted to be in charge of my life, I wanted to be able to pay my bills, right. So that was my motivation. How I would get there I did not know. So, that's when I say that all these doors, you know, and I push one door and it was this Italian manufacturer who had a factory and he had a printing factory and it certainly was not the most glamorous door that I could push but I did that. And now I owe everything I know, everything I've done, I owe to this man and what I learned there. So, you have to be very, I think another thing that is so important is to always be very open. And being open means pay attention, pay attention to people who you think have no interest. There's nobody that's boring if you actually pay attention. And you can learn from everyone and then this network of life, I mean. And you get to meet people and listen and listen to their things. For example, I have a little game I play with myself which is the first email that I do every morning is something that doesn't benefit me, right. So I may introduce you to this person and I don't have to speak, I don't have to leave a message, I could do it all through email by connecting these people. And I could change one person's life with so little effort. But that's the beauty of, you know, generosity doesn't have to be always about giving money. It's just paying attention to others and trying to solve people's problem, introduce people, introduction is so important. - You must have people coming to you all the time saying I want to be like you, I want my career, the people who are career motivated, saying how do I grow up to be you? What kind of advice do you give to those people? - Well, first of all, I have great intuition and I understood, I made this little dress, I mean, I understand women. I'm very good at intuition and I'm very good at coming up with solution and what people want because I want it all and all the time and so if you want it all all the time you have to be super organized and super practical. But, I'm not a good manager, for sure, and I never did a business plan which I should have done. I mean there's a lot of things that I should have done that I did not do. - But you were so successful without doing it. Why should you have done it? - Well because I would have been more successful and you know I wouldn't have had all the ups and downs or whatever. But, I have the characteristics of a founder, you know. Founders are not inventors, they're not always able to, they're not managers. - Would you tell someone then, go to business school? Is that advice you would give? - Yes, I would say try to have a business plan. I could say it that way, which is a very dry, and a very business like way, or I could say it like my Tai chi teacher tells me, which is if you focus on your power, you either get hurt or you fail, if you focus on your energy you stagnate, but if you spend a lot of time on your intention, and think about it and give time to your intention, you will have the energy and the power.

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